Piper CHEROKEE 180 - Air Conditioner Effects on Airplane Performance

CHEROKEE
180
SECTION
111
AIR CONDITIONER EFFECTS ON
AIRPLANE PERFORMANCE
Operation
of the air conditioner
will
cause slight
decreases in the
cruise speed
and range of the Cherokee
180.
Power from the engine
is
required
to run the
compressor, and the
condenser
door,
when
extended,
causes a slight increase in drag.
When
the air
conditioner
is
turned off
there is
normally
no measurable difference
in
climb, cruise
or range
performance of
the
airplane.
NOTE
To insure maximum
climb
performance
the air
conditioner
must
be turned off
manually
before
take-off
to
disengage the compressor and retract
the
condenser door. Also
the
air conditioner must be
turned off
manually
before the
landing
approach in
preparation
for
a
possible
go-around.
Although
the
cruise speed
and range
are
only
slightly
affected by
the
air conditioner
operation,
these changes should
be
considered in
preflight
planning.
To be
conservative, the following
figures assume that
the compressor is
operating
continuously
while the
airplane
is
airborne.
This will
be
the
case
only in extremely hot weather.
1.
The
decrease in true airspeed
is approximately
5
mph
at
all
power
settmgs.
2. The decrease
in range
may
be
as much as 37
statue
miles for
the 50
gaL capacity.
761
513
31
720615